"People shouldn't jump to conclusions based on speculation,'' Miller said.

Miller said owner Paul Allen and Vulcan CEO Tod Leiweke are about halfway through their evaluation process of Pritchard and that no timetable has been set for it to be completed.

"Nothing has been determined about Kevin going forward,'' Miller said. "We are in the midst of the whole evaluation. Look, it's a tough situation for all of us. I consider Kevin a friend ... in many jobs you go through annual evaluations - the challenge here is that it is very public.''

A Yahoo! Sports report said Allen has hired a headhunting firm to find a replacement for Pritchard, who is under contract through the 2010-2011 season, but has apparently fallen out of favor with the billionaire owner. The Yahoo! report said Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti could be a candidate, and on Tuesday, the New York Post reported that the Blazers interviewed Presti in New York.

Miller would not respond to either report.

"The thing I can say is that Paul is committed to bring a championship to Portland,'' Miller said. "I think he has shown that by putting his resources forward to improve the organization.''

Miller did confirm that Pritchard is currently negotiating contract extensions for his top two scouts - Chad Buchanan and Mike Born - and that he continues to head the team's draft strategy as the June 24 draft nears.

"Kevin has done a phenomenal job drafting players and he continues to lead that process now,'' Miller said.

Vulcan spokesperson David Postman said Allen will not comment on personnel matters, or any other questions, until after the draft.

"The organization is totally focused on the draft and will not
comment about anything other than that until after June 24th,'' Postman said.